Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie left the Prince Xian’s mansion and got into separate carriages, each attending to their own matters.
Lu Wuxie went to the palace to inform the Emperor about the fully investigated case of Beitian Nunnery and the details concerning Shen Ying.
As for Zhong Li, with the confessions from Xu Qing and others, coupled with the evidence found at Beitian Nunnery, the Wu family’s silver shop, and the Yang family’s medical hall, arresting A Wu was merely a procedural step.
She had just arrived at the Dali Temple, preparing to mobilize personnel for a city-wide search for A Wu, when a young constable appeared before her.
“Lord Zhong.”
The young constable knelt on one knee, seemingly with important news, his forehead glistening with sweat.
“Get up and speak,” she said.
The young constable stood and continued, “As you predicted, Lord Zhong, A Wu has not appeared at Dali Temple since the incident at Beitian Nunnery. Knowing that you would order a search, I went to A Wu’s residence beforehand and found this.”
He said this, pulling something out of his robes and presenting it in his hand.
Zhong Li took it. It was a hairpin, the style of which felt rather familiar.
“Is this Hua Yao’s?” she murmured, thinking for a moment.
Seeing this, the young constable said, “I don’t know, my lord. But as I was leaving A Wu’s residence, I overheard the neighbors saying that when A Wu fled, he had a young woman with him.”
Hearing this, Zhong Li looked up at the young constable opposite her. “You look very familiar. Are you… Wang Zhu?”
Wang Zhu smiled. “Lord Zhong has a good memory. I’ve only mentioned my name once, and you remembered.”
Zhong Li felt a hint of resistance towards his fawning words. “If I recall correctly, you said you always followed A Wu, didn’t you?”
“My lord!” Wang Zhu reacted quickly, clasping his fists. “I did say that, but that was before I knew about the crimes A Wu committed. I admired Lord A Wu, but that was based on my limited understanding of him. Now that the case of Beitian Nunnery has occurred, my greatest wish is to help you apprehend the mastermind behind this case, to comfort the soul of Young Master Wuyou.”
“Is that so?” Zhong Li’s tone remained somewhat suspicious.
As if fearing Zhong Li wouldn’t believe him, Wang Zhu raised three fingers and swore, “Everything I say is true. If I deceive Lord Zhong in any way, may I be struck by lightning.”
“Enough!” Zhong Li stopped him. “Since you’ve come to me, you must have an idea of A Wu’s whereabouts. Lead the way! Otherwise, Hua Yao will be in danger.”
“Yes!” Upon hearing this, Wang Zhu stood and quickly exited Dali Temple. Zhong Li waited for him at the entrance.
A moment later, he returned, leading two horses.
“What is this for?” Zhong Li asked.
“To answer your lordship, A Wu should be in the mountains near Baolin Temple. Carriages are inconvenient, and riding horses would be more suitable,” Wang Zhu explained.
“The mountains? How did you determine A Wu is in the mountains?” Zhong Li inquired further.
Wang Zhu replied, “My lord has been away on business these past few months, so you may not be aware of many of A Wu’s affairs. After Gu Ling died, A Wu felt the environment in the woods around Baolin Temple was good for Gu Ling’s spiritual ascension, so he buried Gu Ling there and built a small wooden cabin beside Gu Ling’s grave. I surmise that if A Wu were to flee, given his feelings for Gu Ling, he would certainly go to that cabin.”
Wang Zhu had already mounted his horse as he spoke.
Seeing him like this, Zhong Li asked no further questions. She walked to the other horse and mounted it.
“Stay close, my lord,” Wang Zhu said, flicking his whip. The horse galloped towards Baolin Temple.
Zhong Li watched Wang Zhu’s retreating back, then lowered her eyes and also urged her horse forward.
Wang Zhu had chosen a strong horse, and in less than an hour, they arrived in front of the small wooden cabin he had mentioned. Indeed, beside the cabin was a grave, bearing Gu Ling’s name.
“My lord, let’s go down and take a look,” Wang Zhu dismounted first and walked to Zhong Li’s side.
Zhong Li nodded, also dismounting. She glanced at the morning mist in the woods and casually took out a mask, handing it to Wang Zhu. “Put this on. Inhaling too much mist is not good for you.”
Wang Zhu took it and put it on, mimicking Zhong Li, then followed her towards the wooden cabin.
Zhong Li knocked twice on the door and hid to the side with Wang Zhu, waiting for someone to answer. However, after a long while, there was no movement from inside.
Zhong Li thought for a moment, about to try her usual tactic again, when Wang Zhu stepped forward and kicked the door open. Her words of prevention were swallowed as she followed Wang Zhu inside.
The room was not large; it could be surveyed at a glance. If someone were hiding, the only possibility was a small annex opposite the door, covered by a cotton curtain, and its contents were unknown.
“My lord, let me go in and check,” Wang Zhu volunteered.
Zhong Li nodded, granting permission. Wang Zhu drew the dagger from his waist, approached the curtain, and carefully opened a gap to peek inside before flashing in. Zhong Li waited outside.
Not long after, she heard a muffled grunt from inside, and her brows unconsciously furrowed.
“Wang Zhu!” Her voice was clear and particularly sharp in the empty room.
The reply was silence.
“Wang Zhu?” she called again, moving closer to the cotton curtain. Still no answer.
Zhong Li pondered for a moment, then let the dissection knife slide from her sleeve and yanked down the curtain. The situation inside the small annex was revealed. The room was small, with a bed and a small table. As for Wang Zhu, he was lying by the bed, seemingly unconscious, his eyes tightly closed.
Zhong Li quickly went to Wang Zhu’s side and checked his breathing, finding it relatively even. She then began to examine other parts of his body, trying to determine how he had fainted. While she was focused, she didn’t realize a figure had crawled out from under the bed, holding a club.
Just as the club was about to descend on Zhong Li’s head, Zhong Li, with a backhand motion, threw the dissection knife in her hand behind her. A Wu was startled by Zhong Li’s sudden action. He nimbly dodged to the side, the knife grazing his nose and embedding itself firmly in the wooden wall behind him.
Simultaneously, Zhong Li flicked her sleeve, releasing a cloud of white powder that flew directly into A Wu’s face. A Wu let out a muffled groan, his eyes irritated. He retreated, leaning against the wall, and began to clear his face.
In a flash, Wang Zhu, who had appeared unconscious moments ago, now woke up. He looked at Zhong Li, whose back was to him, and intended to strike her while she was distracted. However, as soon as he raised his arm, before he could even pull out his weapon, he felt a wave of weakness overcome him, leaving him unable to muster any strength.
Zhong Li heard the sound behind her and turned to see Wang Zhu collapsing on the ground like a puddle of mud, his bewildered eyes filled with fear of her. She didn’t bother explaining to Wang Zhu. She casually untied the hemp rope from her waist, walked over to A Wu, and began to bind him, saying, “Stop struggling. I’ve put medicine in this powder. The more you move it, the more it will stick to your eyes. Of course, it also contains a muscle-relaxing agent. You should have realized by now that you can’t resist when I tie you.”
“Zhong Li! You’re despicable!” A Wu roared in anger.
Zhong Li’s hands paused slightly. “It’s your own fault for trying to be clever and getting caught. You found a fool and tried to trick me. No one else is to blame.”
Having finished her task, she walked to the window and took out a cold-flame flare, firing it into the air. Lan Heng had been waiting outside the woods. Upon seeing the flare, he waved to the Dali Temple guards behind him. “Let’s go, apprehend them.”